“I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.” Phillipians 2:20
The boys and I were looking back over pictures and videos of the years we’ve served at Relay for Life with actionchurch. I have some GREAT memories! One of my fond memories is the year I met Juny Jun and his family. Brand new “newbies” – they no more than stepped foot on the track before I swooped in with a job for them. (If you show up in an actionchurch t-shirt – be warned – you are fair game!)
Anyway – There was a woman, with small children, who had JUST been diagnosed with cancer, struggling, in the blazing heat, to set up a (NOT so) EZ-up tent. The thing had like a bajillion pieces……and no instructions. Juny and the kids schlepped her equipment the whole way across the field and stuck with that woman until they had her tent in place and her campsite set up for the event.
I wouldn’t have blamed them if they would have looked at me and said “Hey! I didn’t sign up for this assignment!” But – they didn’t. They just quietly, in the background, did what needed to be done.
They were caregivers.
The past couple of weeks we have been highlighting a very famous person in the bible named Paul – but, as I’ve been reading about Paul’s struggles, trials and suffering – there is another guy – Timothy – right there beside him every step of the way.
The caregiver.
Timothy is an emissary, delivering messages and letters across whole countries. Timothy is a travel companion, journeying right alongside of Paul through thick and thin. Timothy – is even in prison with Paul. Going through the same crap, day in and day out, quietly, unselfishly, in the background, doing what needs to be done.
The caregiver.
Timothy had a lot of opportunity to say – “Hey! I didn’t sign up for this assignment!”
On Friday we plan to give a whole lot of love and support to a deserving group of people – cancer survivors. But there is another group of people who will be there too. I encourage you to take the time to get to know their stories as well. I urge you to pay particular attention to those people who are there every step of the way – right alongside the survivors, going through the same crap, day in and day out – even though they didn’t sign up for the assignment – quietly and unselfishly, doing what needs to be done.
The caregivers.
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith……..may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7